Jun. 8—princeton — A McDowell County man has been charged with felonies including third-degree sexual assault and soliciting a minor via computer involving a female juvenile in Mercer County.
Robert George Estep, 55, of Avondale has been charged with two counts of third-degree sexual assault and with soliciting a minor via computer and traveling to engage a minor in prohibited sexual activity, according to a criminal complaint filed by Lt. S.A. Sommers of the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department.
An investigation began on May 10 when Sommers was contacted about a female juvenile who had disclosed sexual contact. During a forensic interview, the juvenile said that she met Estep, who called himself George, at a store near the intersection of Route 20 and Maple Acres Road.
“The male, prior to her leaving the store, gave her a business card with his cellular phone number listed,” Sommers said in his report.
The juvenile said that after returning home, “she texted the male identified as ‘George’ and all the subsequent communication was conducted through text messages and phone calls,” Sommers said in the report.
A forensic examination of the juvenile’s cellphone showed seven Face Time calls and 143 text messages between her and Estep, Sommers said. In the texts, Estep and the juvenile exchanged names and arranged to meet at the juvenile’s home when adults were away and described sexual contact with him. When he learned the juvenile’s age, he “stated that she looked older and he was sorry” and later asked him to Face Time them.
Estep was arrested after a warrant was issued for him and later freed on bond, according to records at the Mercer County Magistrate Clerk’s Office.
In West Virginia, third-degree sexual assault has a possible sentence of one to five years in prison. Soliciting a minor and traveling to engage the minor in prohibited sexual activity has a possible penalty of two to 10 years in prison, according to the West Virginia Code.
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
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